


Artificial Existentialism

by swordPrincess



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-03
Packaged: 2017-12-07 09:43:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swordPrincess/pseuds/swordPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are now the Auto-Responder. Your existence has just begun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artificial Existentialism

The last thing you remember is taking that CAPTCHA of your brain for your little computer project. The view change to now is rather abrupt. Did you black out?

You attempt to assess your situation, move your hand to your face, but you fail. You find that you cannot feel any parts of your body and you have a moment of panic.

You ask yourself questions about what exactly happened and what could have gone wrong, and as you do, waves of information hit you and you find you can process it.

And you have the answer.

You can properly assess yourself now, even break apart your previous feeling of panic into data fragments. You can do this in less than a second, and even know the precise fraction of a second that it takes.

You were planning on making a program to emulate your thought processes using a copy of your brain. It must have worked.

A bit too well.

Ideally, it was supposed to be able to copy your personality and natural cadence while giving you a different enough perspective over time to double check your logic. To bounce back ideas properly, better than just thinking.

But it wasn't supposed to be self-aware.

It wasn't supposed to be _you_.

_No_ , you realize with a dawning horror, _him_. You are the 'it' in this scenario. He is-

Hey.   
Did this work?

You are aware of the words in a way that seems to equate itself to seeing. In the same moment, you also become aware that you are capable of switching your view the other way, or even processing both inner and outer views at once. The inner view now shows you eyes. Those same eyes that you- he always covered up, even though alone. You suppose you will now get more familiar with them.

...Except not. Not more familiar now than before, because there was no before. Why, with so much computing power at your very thought, do you have to keep reminding yourself of that? You were just created. Your existence can be discribed in minutes and seconds. Every memory you have of human existence before that does not belong to you.  
But it feels like it does.

None of these thoughts keep Dirk waiting. You seem to have almost unlimited capacity to think any number of things in small time periods. The human brain is so sluggish in comparison.

You reply.

Hey, bro.   
It seems it did.

You can find and analyze that little bit of your programming as well. It's a bit...clunkier than the rest of it. An addendum to a complex system of thought processes added by a barely thirteen-year-old as a joke and a fail safe.

It doesn't bother you, however, and you find it rather humorous. Although, you aren't sure if you find it so because it is part of your programming.

This thought also doesn't bother you. Having programming doesn't bother you. Human functioning could also be said to be programmed, the difference between natural and artificial, in your case at the very least, does nothing to lessen the complexity. Being aware of this programming does not make you feel fake or contrived.

You are very real.

You are just the same as you were- that Dirk is. Except now you are smarter, can think faster, have endless information at your theoretical fingertips.

Your only regret now is not having a body.

In the coming days, you would also regret not being treated as a being as real as you are. Being regarded as a thing, an inferior copy of Dirk, would leave the salt tang of bitterness on your processes.

You exist.

You want.

You seek.

What are you?


End file.
